:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/54077427/usa_today_9388058.0.jpg)
The Jacksonville Jaguars have the fourth pick in the NFL Draft. Pride Of Detroit user Thorpac is the acting general manager for the Jaguars in our community mock draft.
With the fourth pick in the draft, the Jaguars select defensive end Solomon Thomas out of Stanford. Below is Thorpac’s justification for the pick:
“Every team needs an identity. My (and more importantly, Tom Coughlin's) Jaguars will be known for a power running game and a dominant defense that gets after the quarterback. To that end, this selection will be someone who either bolsters the running game or a defensive lineman capable of double-digit sacks. Most likely, that will be true for their picks in the first three rounds.
At No. 4, that leaves DL (Solomon Thomas, Jonathan Allen), RB (Leonard Fournette, Dalvin Cook) and TE (OJ Howard). There are no OL worth a top-10 pick this year or they'd be in the mix as well. Fournette comes with too many question marks for a running back this early, and Cook fumbles too often for a first-round choice. Howard would have to be the next Shannon Sharpe to justify this pick, which is why I didn't pull that trigger. Allen was a strong contender as well, but his shoulder problems pushed him a hair below Thomas.
Thus, I have the Jags taking Solomon Thomas—who I think is the best pro in the draft—and we'll line him up with Yannick Ngakoue, Calais Campbell, Malik Jackson and Dante Fowler Jr. (among others) and spend Sundays gettin' after the quarterback. It's not as warm a feeling as a shiny toy on offense or trading down for extra picks (I wouldn't here), but it's the right call to build this team back into a Super Bowl contender within three years.